Help Me or I Will Die

An Open Letter to Congress:

Help Me or I Will Die
by Donna Smith

Published on Friday, April 3, 2009 by CommonDreams.org

WASHINGTON, DC ­­ – U.S. Representative Eric Massa of New York said this week that in the 86 days since he took office, he has received many letters from his constituents. Some are general letters supporting him or proposed legislation; some letters express disagreement with some of what Congress is working on. Other letters begin with the phrase, “Help me, or I might lose my house,” Massa said. But at least once every other day, Congressman Massa reads the words, “Help me or I will die,” as a constituent from his great state falls through the gaping holes in the healthcare system we have today.

Thirty-five letters in 86 days.

“Help me or I will die,” we write to them in ever increasing numbers. Help me, we beg. And while Massa said he doesn’t know how any Congressional member goes to sleep at night without thinking about these letters he knows all of his colleagues must get too, we know that many don’t yet know what our reality looks like or certainly what it feels like. Or worse, they still just don’t care.

Healthcare reform is a priority, they tell us. Health insurance mandates. Buy the product, they say, and you’ll be OK. Buying insurance will mean everyone has healthcare, they seem to be trying to say. Yet over the course of more than half a century, more and more Americans are dying in a system more and more controlled by corporate greed.

“Help me or I will die,” we keep writing. We keep pleading.

Some Congressional members are fighting for a different sort of system. They are fighting for a publicly financed, privately delivered system. But their fight is being squelched by those advocating for our forced participation – through mandates – in an expansion of the health insurance profiteering that has killed so many of our citizens already. And as the push for mandates deepens, the insurance CEOs will grow ever more fond of the members of Congress who will build their customer bases exponentially – and fatten their salaries and bonuses at exactly the same time 14,000 regular Jane’s and Joe’s every single day in America are losing their employer based healthcare benefits when they lose their jobs.(more)

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Call, write or e-mail your representatives and tell them they need to support Single Payer HR676. Then tell them to advise SenatorMax Baucus that they support Single Payer ! LINK

Call or Fax Senator Max Baucus and tell him that SINGLE PAYER is on the table! Phone: (202) 224-2651 (Office) (202) 224-9412 (Fax)

Call President Oboma at the White House (202-456-1414 or 202- 456-1111) and tell him Single Payer is not for later, the time is NOW!